HAVAN SPEECHES (Chaitra Navaratri 2016)

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters to the Chaitra Navaratri of the year 2073 according to the vedic calendar. The Chairman of the Samaj, Shri Alok Banerjee will soon start the first havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to our beautiful divine Mother Durga and to our beloved Babaji, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan Wale Baba.

The Divine will be invoked with recitals of Sanskrit mantra’s and verses read by Shri Maya Patti & Shri Vinod Acharya.

What great fortune we have, breaking away from our busy lives within the world to come here to Babaji’s home, Herakhan Vishwa Mahadham to celebrate and concentrate on the Divine. Out in the world, kranti is intensifying reflecting in wars, economic crises, natural disasters and so on. Even if this has not touched your life personally we can feel it coming closer and closer and inner peace is not so easy to reach. Those with full faith and a strong practice in repeating the holy names and those filling their life with seva, selfless service to humanity, are touched less and feel protected in these turbulent times. It is a great blessing that you are here at this auspicious time so please do make the most of your time here by participating in the whole program made by Shri Babaji for our spiritual upliftment. To repeat your mantra, to do seva, to eat and sleep less are all part of this special program and it is extremely helpful to churn our inner depths. And give rise to the divine nectar we carry deeply inside our own being.

Now let us worship Durga Devi in this beautiful form.

Day 2

In search of the Divine we have assembled again around the sacred fire place on the second day of Chaitra Navaratri.

Shri Alok Banerjee will now initiate the second havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the illustrious Divine Mother Durga and to our guide in the darkness, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan Wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti & Vinod Acharya will be reciting the Sanskrit mantra’s and verses.

Some 35 years back Shri Babaji announced He was freeing the destructive powers which He has kept under control for so long. Is this what we see going on in the world at present perhaps the dance of Lord Nataraj, the dance of destruction and creation ? Such questions we can contemplate but are beyond the simple human mind. What we can do is to recognize our own personal inner war with our likes and dislikes and our do’s and don’ts. This continuous war is raging in almost every human mind and is at the root of all wars and suffering of humanity. Here we can make a difference and do have a choice by loving or judging others, by taking action or being passive, by taking care of other or only our own interests etc etc.

Here at Navaratri we have an extra powerful support from the Divine Mother in this most important timeless battle of our lives to overcome this inner turmoil and gain inner peace. By taking part we are taking responsibility and add to the peace of the world and support the Divine in its creation of Divine harmony on earth.

This knowledge is explained by Shri Mayapatty Acharya from the holy book, the Shrimad Devi Bhagvatam between 4-6 in the temple. Hidden in legends and fairytales, this knowledge will be translated in English by Uday Chatterjee and give you a deeper insight of our psyche and divine powers of Durga Devi.

Now let us call on and worship Her.

Day 3

Welcome to the third day of Chaitra Navaratri at Herakhan Vishwa Mahadham.

Shri Alok Banerjee will now initiate the third havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to our glorious Divine Mother Durga and to Shri Maha Prabhuji, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti and Shri Vinod Acharya are reciting the Sanskrit mantra’s and sloka’s.

Here we are worshipping the Divine Mother in the form of a big powerful fire which we do on a daily bases with a smaller fire in the Maha Shakti duni. In the temple we worship Her in the form of a marble statue and in the kirtan hall in the form of a sacred book and a copperplate with geometric designs. We name Her Durga, Haidakhandeshwari Ma, Kali Ma, Lakhsmi Ma, Sarawati Ma, Maha Maya and during Navaratri with 9 other names and so many more. In the aarti we sing, Amba Amba jai Jagdamba. Sarva rup he Tu hi Amba which translates as Mother of the Universe all forms are yours. She brothers and Sisters is the source of everything, she is the transforming power in fire, the radiance in the statue, the seed of knowledge in the book and so on….She is the unity amongst us and the Divine in YOU, whether you are aware of it or not, whether you believe it or not, she is the source of ALL. So how can we worship all that ? Rishis and saints have perceived many ways like thru sound with mantra’s, geometric designs like Shri Yantra, many different human like shapes full of attributes to highlight the different divine aspects in murti’s. And then there is this sacred fire that is perhaps the oldest form of worshipping Her. Shri Babaji has somehow reinstated this and highlighted this particular form as we are practicing it here and in His ashrams everywhere. So let us now worship these sacred flames, that they may burn of some of the I, the me and mine which separate us from the Divine inside, from the Divine that unites us.

Day 4

Brothers and Sisters, Ladies and Gentlemen, thirsty for more divine nectar we have come again to be part of this powerful ritual on the 4th day of Navaratri.

Shri Alok Banerjee will now perform the 4th havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the magnificent Divine Mother Durga and to our teacher who guided us here, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba.

Shri Mayapatti and Shri Vinod Acharya will be reciting the havan mantra’s and sloka’s.

By all this worship to the Divine Mother and by Babaji’s blessings this holy place is now teeming with Divine vibrations. We are sucking it up, our hearts are opening and we experience wonderful feelings. Of course things do still happen and we can get upset or disappointed when something or a situation does not so as we had planned or imagined it. We can even get angry or depressed for what ever reason while we are in the middle of all this bliss. The thought or the emotion over shadows momentarily or longer all this Light as our focus has shifted. These are actually great opportunities, blessings in disguise who show us who we are on that moment. If we can just be aware of what is happening it gives us the chance to practice compassion, patience, love, empathy and likewise virtues to our own being and to others around us to harmonise ourselves again with the divine vibrations here. This is very healing for our body, mind and soul. To practice this with awareness in this holy place will help you to do this also at home, later in the world where more challenging circumstances will arise. This true spiritual practice has great opportunities of transformation and we are supporting the Divine in making it a better world, starting with our selves.

Day 5

So lucky we are Brothers and Sisters to be here as we have reached the 5th day of this Navaratri. Now our chairman Shri Alok Banerjee will commence the 5th havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the compassionate Divine Mother Durga and to our benefactor Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti & Shri Vinod Acharya are reciting the havan mantra’s and sloka’s.

In this sacred fire the offerings of mantra’s, ghee, fruits and grains will be transformed in vibhuti ( sacred ashes ) and divine vibrations. These vibrations are nurturing the creation of which we are part of at it’s very core. All of nature is stimulated and this reaches far beyond this holy place here. We also have a fire burning inside of us, the fire of our devotion. We can feed this fire with mantra’s, love and dedication for the Divine Mother and Babaji. When we have made a roaring fire inside we can offer our desires, our attachments to worldly passions, jealousies and other tendencies which we suffer and keep us away from the divine inside.

For various reasons it is not always possible for everybody who would like to sit and offer at this fire here. For our inner havan however everybody can and should offer all the time, everyday, everywhere. This is our real sadhana for advancing spiritually, for transformation. If we experience disappointment or what ever emotion because somebody is not getting this permission we can become aware that we have more fuel for our inner havan, more reason to grow and walk our spiritual path.

Day 6

Gratitude to the Lord of Herakhan, Brothers and Sisters, for having us in His home while we have reached the 6th day of chaitra Navaratri.

Shri Alok Banerjee will lead us into the 6th havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the generous Divine Mother Durga and to the Guru of Guru’s Shri shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti and Shri Vinod Acharya will be reciting the havan mantra’s and sloka’s.

Being so blessed in this wonderful place gratitude comes naturally to these with an open heart. What have we really done to receive all this ultimate goodness ? Thru gratitude we become more aware of all that we are receiving. Soon we will return to our lives where ever that may be with the challenges of the world like health, wealth, work and family it is not so easy to be always grateful for our share of karma life is presenting to us. It is clearly noticeable that kali yuga is fully up on us now and practically nobody is exempted from this burden weighing on the world now.
Babaji’s blessings and your spiritual practice are perhaps not changing the load of our personal karma very much. It does make us stronger however on a deep level to face our destiny and learn the lessons we have come to learn in our life. Being grateful to the Divine and the people around you is balm on your spiritual path. If perhaps later in meeting big challenges and it is difficult to find gratitude we can just be happy with what we do Not have. If we compare our lives with the people who live in the houses around here or the people who visit our hospitals, or those in the middle east etc etc, then we have so much to be grateful for. For today we can be happy for being here at this auspicious time.

Day 7

Welcome to Saptami, the 7th day of Navaratri at Herakhan Vishwa Mahadham. Our chairman Shri Alok Banerjee will lead us into the 7th havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to gracious Divine Mother Durga and to the joy of our lives, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti & Shri Vinod Acharya will be reciting the sanskrit mantra’s and sloka’s.

This holy fire is such a magically beautiful medium to worship the Divine. It is transforming and in it self it is continuously changing. Everything in our lives is continuously changing. Governments, economics or more personally health, wealth, happiness and all the phenomena passing thru our experience. Change is the law of nature. If we resist it we have friction, if we surrender we have peace. Our lives evolve in between these two. What is not changing is the nature of the Divine even if it appears like that when we get confronted with so many aspects of the Divine in Sanatan Dharma. The true nature of the Divine is stable, always present whether we are aware of it or not. Sustaining everything like an invisible wall on which all our illusions of this world are projected. Let your thoughts and the things of this world come and go as they please, be in peace and enjoy the divine nature of our sathguru and the Divine Mother Durga. Here and now is the best place to do this.

Day 8

Between the holy mount Kailash and the sacred river Gautami Ganga we have gathered again around this revered fire place on astami, the 8th day of Chaitra Navaratri. The chairman of the Haidhakhandi Samaj Shri Alok Banerjee will now guide us into the 8th havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the omnipotent Divine Mother Durga and to the great Sathguru, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba. Shri Mayapatti & Shri Vinod Acharya will invoke the Divine in this holy fire with the recitals of Sanskrit mantra’s and Sloka’s.

Shri Babaji has promised His devotees Abhayan, His protection. He told us that soon the kranti, the great revolution will be up on us. For us who see life in a shorter time span it has taken quite a while but now we can all hear the trumpets and conches of war being blown. It is not only warring countries that is troubling. Economic collapse, viral diseases, environmental disasters, strife with family members, neighbors and people around us are all part of it. The time of the big change is now ! Brothers and Sisters Shri Muniraj and Shri Vishnu Datt Sastri have guided Babaji’s family beautifully for many years after Babaji’s samadi. Shri Muniraj in particular has expanded Babaji’s family enormously and enlarged Herakhan at least 4 times.He stimulated the construction of many places in Babaji’s name around the world. Now is the time to take up our responsibility to continue this as His devotees. To live and proclaim Shri Babaji’s teachings, to maintain His beautiful ashrams to the best of our abilities together. The great challenge for us is in doing this together but we know in our heart that He has guided us ALL to His lotus feet. So we can not really exclude anybody but rather confront the challenge. By doing so our personal focus on Him will be more and automatically less on the crumbling world around us. The love we share amongst us, His Love, is paramount and will carry us like a boat over the ocean of misery. So let us be aware and cultivate that love within and between us and see the good things we share rather than focusing on our differences. It is our duty to love and serve one and another as well as humanity and not to judge each other. This very practice is high spiritual conduct in action and will keep you closer to the Divine. In such a heart Babaji is residing comfortably. So let us grow up, stop crying and ask Babaji to alleviate the pains of life and take up our responsibilities. Not only with our personal practice but in all our actions and while Lord Nataraj is dancing we align ourselves with our behavior with the new world of which Babaji has spoken.

Day 9

Today is Naumi Ladies & Gentlemen, brothers and sisters, the 9th and last day of Navaratri.

By Babaji’s grace our chairman Shri Alok Banerjee has largely concurred his physical challenges and is now ready to lead us into the Poornahooti, the 9th and last havan of the 9 day yagna dedicated to the omnipresent Divine Mother Durga and to our beloved Lord of Herakhan, Shri Shri 1008 Herakhan wale Baba.

All goodness and bliss you have felt and experienced is credited to Him, Please join me in this prayer.

Lord of Herakhan may You always be praised and remembered by us. Infinite gratitude to You that you have an interest in us and our upliftment. Thank you for inviting us in your beautiful powerful home. We have been blessed in these days and we can feel your presence dwelling amongst us here. We, your children with feeble minds and shallow character are coming to your lotus feet to ask for even more even if we do not deserve this. The times you have warned us for are here, we have little faith and are very confused so please compassionate Lord do hear our call. Be our light in these dark times and come to adorn your assan at Herakhan Vishwa Mahadham once again. Guide us sweet Guru and teach us how to serve you to establish harmony on earth. Be with us dear master not only for us here but for all the good souls stumbling around in darkness searching for your light. Have compassion on us even if we do not earn your merit. In our ignorance we do not even know how to ask you properly but the speaker is one voice for all of your children here and around the world. You have brought us here greatest one, grace us once again and let our eyes feast on your radiant presence and serve you in your dharmic plan for this world. Hallowed be thy name Lord of Herakhan for now and always.

Shri Herakhan Bhagwan ki Jai ! Bhole Baba ki Jai !

All is said and with the last havan and bandara this Navaratri will come to a close. It was lovely we could spend it together. For all those who are returning today or tomorrow please do share the Divine miracle where ever you go and be a soldier in the army of Light !

Travel safe and abide in peace.

Day 10

After a wonderful Navaratri we meet again brothers and sisters. Today it is Dashmi and we celebrate the victory of Lord Rama from the famous Ramayana. Lord Ram with Hanuman by His side victorious in a terrible war with the demon king Ravana. Just like we heard the last days a fierce battle between good and evil. Another great epic from the Indian scriptures is the Mahabharata where Lord Krishna and the Pandava brothers fight a fierce battle to protect dharma. Here the Bhagavat gita is a center piece of the highest knowledge od Sanatan Dharma. All these very fine stories however are stories of war. Also when we read the Bible we can read of many war stories and similarly with the Koran and the Tora. Even in the Shambala scriptures from the Buddhist religion there are war stories. These are all part of the oldest records of humanity we have. It may be hard to face the facts for us who imagine ourselves as a peaceful loving crowd looking for the Divine, but we Brothers and Sisters, we as humanity are war. And all this war starts at home with ourselves.

Outwardly and inside, for as long as we can remember, this is us, the human species ! Better not to get to emotional about it and look at the facts and learn from the great holy scriptures of thousands of years old. From our rational point of view flying monkeys, demons in the weirdest shapes and Goddesses with many arms and strange weapons all seem incomprehensible. They are however divinely, cleverly written to appeal to people thru thousands of years for simple or intelligent minds. They conceal the highest knowledge about us, about how we as a human species are imprisoned in our mind, emotions and personality. It also offers solutions, the way forward for the human race to evolve to a less primal state then the conflictuous beings we are at present. So let us study and enjoy these pearls of wisdom and open up to new consciousness which is budding for humanity now. This is why the kranti will need to take place, we need to evolve as a species.

Let us start here and now to honor and celebrate the forces that stimulate our progress of returning into the divine realms by dedicating this holy fire to Lord Ram who fearlessly proceeded also when there was no hope and very little support in an enormous quest. Have courage brothers and sisters and let us confront our inhibitions and inner demons. Shri Babaji is lot and a very big support in this process.

Shri Alok Banerjee will now guide us into this sacred fire and Shri Mayapatti & Shri Vinod Acharya will be reciting the havan mantra’s and sloka’s.

Many thanks to Jaman Singh and Batchuli for the pictures of this Navaratri.